I had so much fun with my buzz cut over the summer, but I didn't like the idea of not having any hair in the middle of winter, so I'm growing it out. My plan is to bleach it white-blonde once it gets long enough (by myself in my bathroom 'cause I'm crazy like that).

I figured I better wait until it gets to a certain length, however. I'm not totally sure what the required length is for bleaching hair, but I'm hoping I'll know it when I see it.

To speed things along a little, I've been trying my best to encourage hair growth by doing these four things:

Using oil treatments regularly.

I apply Hask Monoi Coconut Oil ($6) to my hair every day to keep it hydrated, since my hair tends to be on the dry side. The oil's instructions say specifically to avoid the root area but that's really all I've got, so whatever. It's a fairly rich oil that makes my hair soft and shiny.

Sleeping on a silk pillowcase.

I've been doing this for a few years now anyway, but if you want to grow your hair out and don't already own a silk pillowcase, you should get one. It's much gentler on your hair, meaning less breakage and more growth.

Brushing regularly with my Sonia Kashuk brush.

Apparently, regular brushing promotes hair growth, so I'm happy that I recently found my Sonia Kashuk hair brush ($15) after it had been missing for weeks. (I think I have the smaller version, FYI.) This brush is very affordable, very good-looking, and feels nice on my scalp.

Shampooing only once or twice a week.

Everyone's hair is different, but I've found that mine definitely responds better to less frequent shampooing. It seems healthier (and thus hopefully grows faster) when I'm not stripping it of its natural oils. Plus, I can get away with dirty hair because a) it's so short and b) I work from home.

Now it's time for Comments of the Week!

You guys had some pretty thoughtful, insightful comments this week, in addition to your usual (and fantastic) recommendations.

I was just thinking about this today, but I find runway beauty stuff so much more interesting than runway clothes. Kind of in the same way that makeup in general is a more accessible luxury (i.e. I will never be able to afford a Marc Jacobs handbag, but could afford a lip gloss), runway makeup is also much easier to adapt. I mean, yes, generally runway looks use very new/not yet released or high end products which can be difficult to purchase. But a glossy red lip is a glossy red lip and can be achieved a multitude of ways. I also find makeup is much more cyclical than fashion in a way that means you could still have products that work for each season.

I think it's kind of absorbingly cool how cyborgian she seems with all of that "natural" makeup, though. She's known for makeup in flesh tones, yet she looks more artificial than you or I would in fuchsia lipstick and purple eyeshadow. I'm not a huge fan of her preferred look, but it's interesting as a cultural phenomenon.

3. "YukonRoseinLV" has me convinced that I need to order from this Japanese beauty website:

I love almost everything I've ever tried from DHC. I used to use the powder cleanser and have been thinking about buying it again, especially since I need to get another bottle of the miracle that is their Deep Cleansing Oil. Little note about DHC, if you go to the website, pay the $5 and order the catalog with samples, you will forever get the catalog with samples (2 samples per month) and they refund the $5 on your first order. www.dhccare.com is their website. And they send you a postcard for your birthday month giving you a discount code.

4. I don't know if it can beat the cult beauty product that is the Mason Pearson brush, but I (obviously) agree with "Space Girl" that the Sonia Kashuk brush is pretty darn good:

Sonia Kashuk (AKA Target) has a ~$15 brush that's supposedly a dupe of the nylon/boar bristle mix and is, regardless of its quality as a dupe, a really good hairbrush.